Devils at Blue Jackets
After erupting for a season-high seven goals, the New Jersey Devils look to keep their slim postseason hopes alive when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night in the first leg of a home-and-home set. The Devils have won three of four and are six points out of the eighth playoff slot in the Eastern Conference with 11 games to play.
While the odds hardly favor New Jersey, it is staring at the opportunity to pick up four points this weekend against an opponent with the second-worst record in the East. "Obviously it would be a little crazy. We have a lot of ground to make up," Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid said. "But if we just keep winning our games, we can make a run like Ottawa did last year. That would be another great story." The Blue Jackets have dropped three in a row - all at home - and scored a mere three goals in the process, but they have been a nemesis for New Jersey. Columbus has won five straight meetings, including a 6-1 romp at home on Feb. 25.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus-2 (New Jersey), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (34-30-7): Forward Devante Smith-Pelly was among the least heralded acquisitions at the trade deadline, but he scored twice in Thursday's victory over Minnesota to give him six goals and three assists in seven games since the deal. Smith-Pelly had only six goals in 46 games for Montreal before he was picked up in exchange for Stefan Matteau. "When I first came here I said I was pretty confident in my ability," Smith-Pelley told NJ.com. "Obviously I didn't think a goal per game. Right now it's going better than I thought, but I'm enjoying it."
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (28-34-8): Columbus has pretty much been riding an all-or-nothing offense over the past 15 games, amassing 33 regulation goals in seven victories while producing only six tallies in its eight losses. "It’s not scoring chances," Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky told the Columbus Dispatch. "It’s work habits. You get the goals with work habits, and I don’t think our work habits are strong enough right now." Defenseman Dalton Prout took a puck to the face Friday, but he returned to the practice after getting stitched up.
OVERTIME
1. Devils G Cory Schneider, out since March 4, will have his right knee re-evaluated on Sunday.
2. Blues Jackets captain Nick Foligno is in an eight-game goal drought since notching a hat trick versus New Jersey on Feb. 25.
3. The Devils are 0-for-12 on the power play over the past six games.